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Citigroup’s 52,000 soon-to-be-laid-off employees weren’t the only ones looking for new jobs last week. Whispers that Hillary Clinton would become secretary of State in the next administration grew to a roar, though many wondered if husband Bill could pass the vetting process set up by Barack Obama’s human-resources team. The president-elect tapped Bronx native Eric Holder as his attorney-general nominee; the only blot on his résumé was also Bill Clinton (Holder was involved with the dubious Marc Rich pardon).

Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman groveled enough to keep his gavel at the Homeland Security Committee. The Dow closed below 8,000, its lowest point in five years. Consumer prices took the biggest monthly dip ever recorded, raising the possibility of deflation. Governor Paterson convened an emergency budget-cutting session in Albany at which legislators decided not to do anything. Mayor Bloomberg wrestled with the City Council over whether to issue $400 property-tax-rebate checks, then ordered city thermostats lowered. The MTA pondered paring bus and train service alongside massive fare hikes.

Pole dancers sued Scores managers for skimming tips; deliverymen picketed Union Square noodle barn Republic. Some Goldman Sachs executives declined their 2008 bonuses. Opera-mad investor Alberto Vilar was convicted of defrauding clients. Marc Jacobs paid a seven-figure fine for bribing his collection’s way into the 26th Street Armory. France’s First Lady, Carla Bruni, sat down with Matt Lauer and David Letterman to promote her new album. Former escort Ashley Alexandra Dupré chatted with Diane Sawyer and sympathized with Eliot Spitzer’s wife, Silda. Brainy Yankees right-hander Mike Mussina hung up his spikes. And the Triborough Bridge was officially renamed for the late Senator Robert Kennedy, just in time for 1010 wins to report bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic inching eastward across the RFK.